Just bought a Fallkniven S1XB. What have I gotten myself into?

raindog308

raindog308

Joined
May 20, 2022
Messages
36
I've wanted a Fallkniven S1 for a long time and just pulled the trigger. I went with the S1XB because it's full tang and I like the black blade.

Now the agony of waiting for it to arrive...

This will be my camping/survival/light yardwork/pumpkin carving/all-around work knife. My previous main fixed-blade knife was a Cold Steel SRK, which has performed well in this role.

For the S1XB, I'm wondering if there is anything I should do in terms of routine maintenance...? I mean, it's a survival (er, "forest") knife so I don't expect it needs to be treated as a princess.

Based on my reading (and I'm definitely no expert), the steel (Lam. CoS) is very hard, with the tradeoffs that entails. A previous discussion here mentioned some microchipping.

Is it reasonable for me to sharpen this knife? I have zero sharpening experience. I don't mind learning, and assume there is nothing special about this steel that would make it more difficult to sharpen? Or is the edge too hard for an amateur? Fallkniven uses both the F1 and A1 as sharpening examples using standard sharpening tools so I assume the S1XB would be similar. Would I be better served practicing on a cheap knife first?

I wasn't entirely sure I understood the sales pitch on the Fallkniven site: "A few words about the all-black version: This surface is called Tungsten Carbide and is among the hardest we have ever encountered...the hardness is 2400 HV (Vickers) or around HRC 83." The blade is HRC 60, so are they saying that HRC 83 is the strength/hardness of the black coating? (i.e., it's a measure of the black coating's resistance to wearing off)
 
Welcome to the forum! I see you’ve joined very recently, I hope you like it here.

Fallkniven makes great knives. My brother carries an S1, and it’s performed great for him. His is LamVG10.

I’ve only heard good things about the LamCos steel featured in your knife. It’s got good strength, great corrosion resistance, and decent wear resistance. From what I’ve read, people experience it to be similar in edge retention to O1.

As far as sharpening goes, I’d certainly recommend buying a cheap fixed blade to practice on. Fallkniven uses a convex grind on all S1 variants as far as I know. This gives the edge great strength, but it must be sharpened in a specific way as to maintain the edge geometry. If you add too obtuse of an edge, you’ll end up with a knife that doesn’t cut through material all that well. You’ll lose “slicey-ness.”

Until you become confident with stones, I’d suggest stropping the edge regularly. Learning to strop is very easy, and when done regularly enough it will keep your knife’s edge in good condition nearly indefinitely. And, unless you incorrectly angle the edge or press too hard into the strop, it will not mess up any of the edge geometry.


Check out this thread for a good tip on stropping:

Stropping: angle plus pressure

A lot of people have noticed that stropping can make an edge duller as well as sharper. Some say you need a lot of pressure, some say you need no more than the weight of the knife. Actually, you need to get the right combination of angle and pressure. I tried to capture this relationship...
www.bladeforums.com www.bladeforums.com
 
Good knife, I use one, you'll find your way with it, no care needed. Add something slicey, after that you'll only need a chopper.
 
raindog308 said:
Would I be better served practicing on a cheap knife first?
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Yes.
Maybe a Old Hickory or Green River paring knife or 7 ~ 8 inch butcher knife? Good steel (1095) and low cost.
bellyfulls bellyfulls suggested getting something "slicey" to pair it with. Either of these are slicey. Maybe not as much as say an Opinel or MAM, which can peel a grape ... but slicey enough for paper thin slices of tomato ... tho why anyone would want their tomato that thin is beyond my comprehension ...
 
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afishhunter said:
Yes.
Maybe a Old Hickory or Green River paring knife or 7 ~ 8 inch butcher knife? Good steel (1095) and low cost.
bellyfulls bellyfulls suggested getting something "slicey" to pair it with. Either of these are slicey. Maybe not as much as say an Opinel or MAM, which can peel a grape ... but slicey enough for paper thin slices of tomato ... tho why anyone would want their tomato that thin is beyond my comprehension ...
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The Old Hickory and Green River recommendations are excellent. I have an Old Hickory that has seen a good amount of use. They’re amazing knives given their price ($8-$15 depending where you buy), but they all need some edge work before use. Which will be great for OP, who seemingly wants some practice.

From my experience, Old Hickory steel is soft and easy to work. It’ll be a very good intro to sharpening for OP.

Here’s mine, with a custom sheath I had made for it.


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Locutus D'Borg said:
I would practice sharpening on a cheap knife before trying a nice knife. IMO. I've been looking at a couple of small folders by this brand so I'm interested in opinions on the quality.
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I have a couple Fallkniven fixed blades (A1 & F1XB) and a couple folders, one locks (PCmg), one doesn't (LTC pen knife). My Fallkniven folders are at their low end (under $100) and I still think they're very good. The one with the locking blade I'm even thinking about having a friend of mine install a thumb stud and a pocket clip on. So far I have NOT been disappointed in their quality of materials or workmanship. IMO, they make very good products, at least the ones I own and have used.
 
As a pretty unsophisticated sharpener myself, I'll echo the posters above who suggested getting some inexpensive knives to practice on. High carbon steel is your friend. Garage sales are your friend, too. I've been able to pick up a decent variety of kitchen knives very reasonably that way. All they needed was a little TLC, and Mrs. McGee and I wound up with some pretty decent kitchen cutlery.
 
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